Why Chris Paul Jr. can be the ideal solution for the Rams ILB enigma in 2025

When the Los Angeles Rams surrendered over 200+ rushing yards to the Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley for the second loss last season, there was no shortage of blame and finger-pointing about the Rams' defensive struggles to stop one player. In two games, Barkley combined for 302 yards and two touchdowns in their first meeting. He put up 232 yards and two touchdowns in the second meeting.

While he thumped the Rams with his two best rushing marks of the season, he was able to put up a lot of rushing yards against almost every NFL defense he faced. Only five teams held him under 100 rushing yards in the regular season. The Eagles won three of those games. Only one team held him under 100 yards in the NFL Playoffs. That team was the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost in Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles by the score of 40-22.

But there are some extenuating circumstances about this defense that may have been lost in the shuffle of 2024.

2024 was the first year for defensive coordinator Chris Shula. The first year of any new coordinator is a difficult time for a unit. In the case of the Rams' defense, Shula was trying to optimize his players and rotations, while players were trying to learn a new defensive philosophy. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't.

This is the defense that jettisoned projected starter and leading tackler Ernest Jones IV just days before the start of the season. This is the same defense that promoted rehabbing veteran cornerback Tre'Davious White due to injuries. Both events proved to be disastrous to the team.

While we hold the Rams' defensive performance to a high standard, let's understand that a Top-10 defense was never in the cards. The Rams emerged from the disappointing season in 2022 and proceeded to rebuild the entire defense with young, passionate players. There are no All-Pro veterans to lean on. And the team parted ways with DT Aaron Donald after the 2023 NFL season.

It's a new chapter for this defense. Dominating defenses take time to construct, and congeal.

The Rams drafted three rookies for the defensive side of the football. Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart was chosen in Round 3. Ohio State defensive tackle Ty Hamilton was selected in Round 5. And finally, Mississippi inside linebacker Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr. was selected in Round 5.

The Rams started undrafted LSU ILB Omar Speights after Troy Reeder was injured. So why do I assert that a rookie can solve the Rams' inside linebacker dilemma? Perhaps it's because he was chosen to excel in Chris Shula's defense.

While the Rams found a true run-stuffer linebacker in Omar Speights, the team struggled in pass coverage at the position. DC Shula experimented with defensive backs to stop the pass, but that only allowed opportunistic offenses to revert to the run. And that became an ongoing game of cat and mouse all season long.

In Chris Paul Jr., the Rams land a linebacker who is a sure tackler, who can play the run, and who has superb coverage skills. It's that coverage that aligns with what the Rams need on defense to pair with Speights. But Paul does not sacrifice anything on run defense to boost pass coverage. That's a good thing:

What the Rams' two starting ILBs from 2024 struggled with most was missed tackles. Both Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom failed to wrap up ball carriers. That is not the case for Paul, as he was a heat-seeking missile who seldom missed.

The best defenses make tackles. Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr. is very good at tackling.

While OTAs and training camp await all Rams players, I am optimistic that Chris Paul Jr. is more than depth on the Rams' defense. For the first time, Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula was able to draft an inside linebacker for his defense. And at first glance, it appears that the Rams have the ideal guy.

Keep in mind that the Rams crept safeties into the box to help a weak linebacker group stop the run. And in doing so, they created room for Saquon Barkley to run all day on them. If the Rams can trust linebackers to make the play and tackle the running back, they can keep safeties at a safe depth to stop those huge gains.

Nothing is certain right now. But Chris Paul Jr. is not just a warm camp body. He brings a lot to the defense, and this defense needs everything he is bringing. Hopefully, the team will start the best pair at inside linebacker. Unless something changes, that pair should be Omar Speights and Chris Paul Jr.

As always, thanks for reading.

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